Andhra Pradesh VROs Association elects new body

On one side lies the bustling Poranki Centre in Vijayawada city, with traffic and shops, while about 40 Yanadi families live in isolation on the other side. Though only a few kilometers apart, the distance between these worlds is measured in their access to basic necessities and opportunities. Poranki, a part of Penamaluru mandal in Vijayawada revenue division, showcases the contrast vividly.

In Prabhu Nagar, a residential area, the stark contrast becomes apparent just beyond a pre-primary Anganwadi centre. Here, a path of mud and slush gives way to a cramped, filthy alley of makeshift shelters, lacking even basic amenities. Children run barefoot, and women sit on iron cots, their lives suspended in a state of deprivation.

Despite being close to the mainstream world, the families' predicament is evident. Their shelters are on private land that serves as a Christian burial ground, with graves close by. The landowners have repeatedly asked them to vacate, yet the residents have nowhere else to go. Local officials and party leaders have been approached for alternative land, but no solution has materialised.

In heavy rains, the settlement gets inundated, forcing families to seek shelter in the Anganwadi building or a nearby apartment complex. No one in the community knows their age, and the men engage in fishing or scavenging, while women collect waste for a meagre income. Education remains a distant dream for children, but intervention by a local NGO has helped a few enrol in the Zilla Parishad school.

Despite the challenges, moments of pride emerge, such as when 11-year-old Charmudi, with her mother's quiet pride, shines in a school competition. Across Andhra Pradesh, Yanadi settlements face similar struggles, caught between insecure housing, precarious livelihoods, and poor access to basic amenities. Historically mobile, the Reddy Yanadis are better off, while the Challa Yanadis, like the troubled community here, face acute deprivation.

Institutional deliveries remain a major concern for Yanadi women, with many children born outside formal healthcare.